Please Help Me To Set Up My Tank :-S

[gamwar]

Hia,

I have read the post on cycling and have a few questions....

Firstly I don't remember it being quite so complicated when I cycled my other tanks...and I was wondering whether it would be worth me carrying out fishless cycling for my new tank as I already have the fish for my new tank and they are currently in less than ideal conditions whilst they wait for me to set up their new home.....

If you believe I should just try and move them in as quickly as possible please could you give an idea on how to do it?

I have not started setting it up yet because I had some problems with obtaining suitable gravel.

Kind regards.
Gamwar. x x

 

[Monty-2010]

Will you be using the filter from the old tank on the new one?

 

[gamwar]

Sorry no, my other tanks are no longer set up ...

 

[Verminator89]

the importance of fishless cycling is, well...important. To not do so is irrisponsible. You need time for bacteria to colognise your filter media, this is what keeps your water clear of toxins for the fish, and in a new set-up these toxins (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) are ususally present in higher quantities than in an established aquarium. If you already have the fish "in less than ideal conditions" i would suggest placing them in the tank, a few at a time over a week or so. Do 10-20% water changes daily, this is a must seeing as you've skipped the more important pre-fish checks (if you want to call them this). Keep an eye on your water parameters as you'll most likely get ammonia spikes which you need to reduce via water changes. If you know anyone on local also in the hobby ask if you can take a seed from their filter system, this will greatly benefit your tank. Basically rinse their filter over yours and transfer some bacteria onto your one. You need any boost you can get, all this isnt ideal, but concidering you've skipped the cycle period i suppose your best bet is to get the fish out of whatever storage you have them in currently. And in future, i recommend fishless-cycling - its VERY important and worthwhile in the long term.

Patience is EVERYTHING in this hobby!

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

A properly done fish in cycle with slowly added stock is fine for fish if done correctly.

Regular water-changes and monitoring of the water twice daily will help you keep things under control, and stop fish from suffering.

I think perhaps the internet has got a bit too high and mighty regarding fishless cycling. In fact, I am fairly sure most people who preach about them never did one correctly anyway!

ANYWAY.

If your fish are currently in a non-cycled environment whilst you cycle the tank, its not going to be any different to have them in a fish in cycle anyway. Just make sure you are only using a small bio-load initially, and keep the testing to 3 times a day initially to help catch and react to early spikes